Iran calls for presidential elections in Syria

Iran outlines plans for an election in Syria as part of their 'peace plan', while Syria's vice president admits that neither side is in a position to win.

Iran is backing presidential elections in Syria as part of its six-point peace plan, outlined on Sunday, to put an end to the country's 21-month conflict.

According to state media and Iranian[2] news agencies, the plan calls for efforts to halt the flow of weapons into Syria and ultimately to create a transitional government to lead Syria toward parliamentary and presidential elections.

Iran is also calling for the release of political prisoners and the reconstruction of areas damaged in the fighting.

However, Tehran's close ties with Assad have left many skeptical of their 'peace plan' offered by Iran.

Details of the six-point plan came just 24 hours after Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said Iran would do all it could to keep Assad in power.

Sunday's proposals were reportedly outlined during the opening of a two-day conference that includes 200 Syrian religious and political figures, alongside envoys from countries including Turkey, Iraq and Lebanon, reported Iranian news agency Fars. Key Syrian rebel leaders were not in attendance.

On Monday, Lebanese newspaper al-Akhbar, reported that Syria's vice president, Farouq al-Sharaa, said that the situation in Syria is heading from bad to worse and neither Assad's forces nor the rebels are in a position to win the war.